the thoughts of one Robert Stribley, who plans to contribute his dispatches with characteristic infrequency

Saturday, January 24, 2004

As Amnesty International points out, there are only five nations left in the world which still execute children: China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Pakistan, and the United States.

Two of those countries, China and Pakistan, have banned the death penalty for juveniles (though they're having difficulty enforcing that). So that leaves the United States in the company of Iran and the Congo as the only three countries on the entire planet which still kill kids.

International law forbids the execution of individuals under the age of 18. But 21 U.S. states allow individuals to be executed who were 16 or 17 when they committed their crimes.

Eight juvenile offenders have been executed in Texas alone in the past five years.

Also, "the United States and Somalia are the only countries in the world that have not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child." Again, great company.